A Figleaves.com underwear campaign has escaped censure by the ad watchdog in a move which is testament to the fine line brand owners tread when promoting lingerie, with many consumers still viewing such ads as “degrading”.
The JD Williams-owned online retailer launched the campaign earlier this year, and it featured both female and male models in separate executions.
One featured a blonde woman wearing a red bra and knickers, standing with her hands on her hips and looking suggestively towards the camera. A second poster featured a man in red boxer shorts also with a suggestive glance.
They both carried the strapline “Like Me?” printed in large letters and a call to action invited consumers to vote via social media and on the Figleaves website.
But three complainants challenged whether both ads were unsuitable for display where children could see them, while two people challenged whether the female ad was offensive as they claimed it degraded women by portraying them as sexual objects.
In its defence, JD Williams said the ads were subject to a placement restriction which kept them 100 metres away from schools, adding they only appeared alongside escalators on the Tube or opposite Tube train platforms.
The firm believed the ads were tasteful shots of fashion lingerie, saying neither was salacious or suggestive. It maintained the strapline was very much in the vein of “vote for me”, rather than any suggestion of desire or sexual attraction.
Rejecting the complaints, the Advertising Standards Authority noted the ads were for a lingerie company and so advertising would understandably feature a model wearing lingerie. In addition, as they did not show nudity, had not appeared near schools and did not portray women as sexual objects to be desired, no further action was required.
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Figleaves ‘not degrading’ says ASA http://t.co/8F8jnuMi74